We return once again with a fresh batch of crowdfunded projects for your approval. This week we’re taking a look at a photographer bitten by the storm chasing bug, a documentary about the men who brought forth the creatures that fill our imaginations, and a stop motion animated film from two of the most original minds in entertainment.

Pick #1 – To Hail and Back

When we see a cool photo of a storm, we often don’t think about the time and effort that a photographer may have put into getting that perfect shot of a lightning strike or tornado touch down. Mike Hall is a severe weather photographer and is looking to make the next tornado season his magnum opus. With support from Kickstarter, Mike plans to chase storms throughout “Tornado Alley” in the Midwest and make images and videos available to his supporters and the world at large. How far past the goal do we have to get for Jan de Bont to ride shotgun?

Pick #2 – Men in Suits

We now live in a CGI world. Creature and special effects in film have been taken over by digitization year after year, and there are no signs that it’s going to slow down. But what about those artists that have brought hundreds of characters to life with their movement and body language? Men in Suits is a new documentary that is going to examine the artists who bring foam and fur suits to life on the silver screen. From the kaiju films of Japan to a Spanish language dark fairy tale and everything in between, the film will cover what it takes to properly suit up and bring these memorable roles to life. Luminaries in the field like Doug Jones and his long time collaborator, director Guillermo Del Toro, will weigh in on these often overlooked performances. Maybe this will teach us all to be more appreciative when someone points out, “That’s just a man in a suit.”

Pick #3 – Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa

One of the men behind Anomalisa created Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Adaptation. The other was the creator of Community. When Charlie Kaufman and Dan Harmon come together to work on a project, of course we’re going to stop and take notice (as did a lot of people, as it has already broken its funding goal), but when you add to that the fact that their partnership is going to be a stop motion animated project you get our enthusiastic stalker fanaticism targeted at it. Produced by the same animators who brought us the amazing Community episode “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas,” Anomalisa will be bringing Charlie Kaufman’s fantastical vision to life in an extraordinary tapestry of techniques. Starburns lives!